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Tigers Interested In Ohman

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Look, it’s a real live trade rumor in April.  Phil Rogers reports that the Tigers might make a move for a left-handed reliever, and the Cubs’ Will Ohman is on their radar.

Oddly, the Cubs are carrying three lefties right now in the pen – Ohman, Scott Eyre, and Neal Cotts.  Last year, the 29 year-old Ohman put up 65 innings of 4.13 ERA ball, which included a K/9 over 10.  He was excellent against lefties, but for some reason faced righties over half the time.

Ohman has done poorly in six appearances for the Cubs this year.  Manager Lou Piniella recently commented on his 30 and 40-foot curveballs.  If the Cubs don’t trade him, they’ll probably demote him soon enough.  Ohman’s contract calls for $2.5MM over 2007-08, plus incentives.

Curtis Granderson Interview

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Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson was kind enough to answer a few questions for MLBTradeRumors.com.  He seems like a smart guy; I was impressed by the content and honesty of his answers.  I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Cubs uniform ten years from now.

Curtis writes an MLBlog and has a MySpace page as well.  On to the Q&A:

When did you first realize that you might one day play in the Major Leagues?

Honestly the first time was when I got called up in 2004 after our final game in AA Erie.  Up until that point, I thought about and hoped I would be able to, but never thought I would get a chance to do it so fast.

You grew up near Chicago.  What would it be like for you to play for the Cubs or White Sox one day?

For me it would be a little rough to play for one of the Chicago teams, because I know so many people there.   A lot of the people that I know there are also big fans of one or both of those teams, and would try to get a lot of information out of me.  I’m not sure if I would want to play there, but towards the end of my career I could see it possibly.   I know I will always have a house in Chicago, so you can never discount anything.

Do you have any lineup preference?  Do you take a different approach leading off than if you are hitting in another spot? 

Honestly my favorite spot to hit is the second spot, but I haven’t done that in almost two years.  The second spot gives you a lot of freedom especially if your leadoff hitter gets on.  The second hitter can move a runner over by bunting, hit and run, or getting a hit through the hole at 1 st base.  In the leadoff spot my approach really only changes in the leadoff spot later in the game when our team really needs me to get on base.   I have to try my best to get on base any way possible.  That is really the only time, and when I lead the game off, I’m not trying to draw a walk, I’m not trying to see pitches, I’m trying to get a hit and get on base.

I’ve read that you’re trying a new batting stance.  How is that going so far?  Do you think you’ll stick with it?

The new stance is very simple.  All we (Lloyd McClendon and I) did was try to eliminate a lot of wasted movement before I swing at the baseball.   Hopefully this will make me quicker to the ball and allow for easy correction if something wrong starts happening over a period of time.  It has worked out pretty well for the most part this spring, but it is only spring training.   Pitchers aren’t at 100 percent yet, so when the season starts and we get a month into it, we will see how it is.  I like it right now though.

Are there any players on the club who serve as mentors for you?

I’m not sure if there is one particular mentor for me on this team because a lot of people have been teaching me different things since I made my debut in 2004.   Nate Robertson and Vance Wilson have taught me different things about the Players Union.  Craig Monroe, Gary Sheffield, and Marcus Thames are teaching me different things about hitting situations.   Andy Van Slyke has taught me a lot about baserunning and also playing the outfield.  Kenny Rogers teaches me different things about how opposing pitchers might pitch me.   So you can see that everyone has been taking a role in trying to develop and build me into a better player.

Tigers Sign Carlos Guillen

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The Tigers signed shortstop Carlos Guillen for four years and $48MM, starting in 2008.  An excellent bargain, and $8MM less than MLBTR readers guessed.

This despite the huge discount he’s giving them in 2007 ($5MM salary).  Guillen must really love Detroit.  Hopefully the Tigers keep him at short most of the time for the length of the deal, but at $12MM annually it’s not the end of the world if they don’t. 

The Pudge Option

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In today’s column, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press names the many milestones Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez is approaching.  Lowe mentions at the end of his column:

"Right now, it seems automatic that the club will exercise the option and have him catch next season — and maybe into the season after that, when he could be passing Fisk for the most games caught all-time."

That is an interesting statement as Rodriguez’s option for 2008 is probably not a no-brainer.  It’s for a hefty $13MM.  But it should be noted that it includes a $3MM buyout, so the question is whether he’s worth $10MM to the Tigers.  PECOTA says $8.125MM, but might not fully value his defense and intangibles. 

Some other catchers could be available after this season: Jorge Posada, Paul Lo Duca, Michael Barrett, and Jason Kendall.  Since all would require at least a two-year deal, I think Pudge’s 2008 option should be exercised.  As far as keeping him in 2009 as well…only for the right price (less than $10MM).

Carlos Guillen Doesn’t Change Tune

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Back in February, I praised Carlos Guillen as the rare marquee free agent who refused to impose a deadline for his next contract.  However, Guillen has since changed that stance.

The Tiger shortstop said yesterday that he would not negotiate a contract after the season starts.  He does wish to stay in Detroit, and talks are ongoing.

The general feeling of MLBTR readers when last surveyed was that Guillen will land a four-year, $56MM contract.  If he remains mostly at shortstop, that’s a bargain.

UPDATE: We’re back where we started – The Detroit News reports that Guillen will negotiate into the season as long as it’s not a distraction.  Tom Gage learned that there has not been a recent offer from the Tigers.

More Ken Rosenthal

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Ken Rosenthal has been working overtime, posting a second column tonight.  To summarize:

  • The Astros plan on keeping their relief core of Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Trever Miller, despite interest from the Red Sox in Lidge and Qualls.
  • In Marcus Thames, Chris Shelton, and Ramon Santiago, the Tigers appear to have a surplus of players.  However, Rosenthal spoke to another team’s exec who thinks the trio will stay with the club.  It’s nice to have depth.  Speaking of which, top pitching prospect Andrew Miller will start his season in A ball but could make an impact in the second half.
  • The Cubs and Rangers would like to add shortstop Clint Barmes as a utility man (might even make sense for the Cubs to start him).  The Rox still like Barmes though and may keep him around as a 2B option for ’08.  Rosenthal mentions the Royals as another fit for Barmes.  The Royals need a shortstop like the Marlins need a center fielder.
  • The Dodgers want to add a right-handed slugger.  Assuming the price tag on Rocco Baldelli remains too high, L.A. could go after Kevin Mench or Reggie Sanders.  The Royals would love to get rid of Sanders or Emil Brown.  The O’s have some mild interest in Sanders.  I guess the offseason helped the Dodgers and Orioles forget that Sanders is 39, makes $5MM, and posted a .729 OPS last year.

Shelton May Be Trade Bait

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Chris Shelton is 7 for 14 this spring, and the fine start could get him traded.  I’m not sure why the Tigers are dead set on the lifeless bat of Sean Casey instead, but here we are.  It appears Marcus Thames is the backup plan, leaving no room for Shelton.

With a .263/.352/.480 PECOTA, Shelton can still be an affordable league average first baseman.  And there’s a legitimate chance he bumps it up to a Mo Vaughn/Pat Burrell level for a few seasons.    

The problem for the Tigers is that it’s not terribly hard to find a 1B who can hit like this.  Guys like Josh Phelps are freely available, so I wouldn’t expect an impressive bounty for Shelton.  It may make sense to keep him at Triple A for a month or two and deal him once an injury creates a need for another club.

Comparing Carlos Guillen and Michael Young

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Michael Young’s recent contract extension, which 56.6% of you liked, could inform negotiations for Carlos Guillen’s next deal.  Guillen is among the ten best free agents available after the 2007 season.

Let’s compare the two shortstops.  They have nearly identical body types, though Guillen is a year older.  Guillen’s got a touch more power; both consistently hit for a high average.  Guillen draws more walks, so he’s in better shape if the batting average starts to decline.  Both have questions about their ability to stay at shortstop in the long term.  Both are significantly underpaid this year.

The largest difference is that Young is far more durable.  That’s a huge factor.  If you factor in the health and age difference, it’s obvious Guillen should not get a five-year, $80MM deal.  The Tigers seem willing to offer a four-year extension, taking him through 2011.  Rather than Young’s $16MM AAV, Guillen should be in line for something more like $14-15MM.  He wants to stay in Detroit, so something like 4/52 might make sense.  PECOTA would support Detroit making such an offer.

What say you?  Guess the length and AAV of Guillen’s contract in today’s MLBTR poll and compare to other readers.

Will Tigers Keep Pudge?

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The Tigers have a $13MM option with a $3MM buyout for Ivan Rodriguez in ’08.  Pudge turned 35 in November.  He said recently that he’d like to finish his career with Detroit and might play until he’s 40.

Given the buyout, Rodriguez’s option is more like $10MM.  PECOTA puts him at $8,125,000 for 2008, so exercising it seems wise.  There’s value in the one-year commitment.  Extending him for extra years might be a mistake, though.

Detroit’s larger 2008 commitments:

Ordonez – $15MM
Sheffield – $14MM
Bonderman – $8.5MM
Inge – $6.2MM
Polanco – $4.6MM

After the ’07 season, Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers, Todd Jones, and Carlos Guillen are all potential free agents.

Carlos Guillen Reaches Walk Year

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Carlos Guillen is being pretty cool about his impending free agency.  He’s not establishing an ultimatum for Dave Dombrowski.  He’s not complaining about his $5MM salary this year even though he might be worth four times that (so says PECOTA).  He’s not demanding to play shortstop now or in any future contract.  Basically, he’s the model contract year guy.

I would like to see a modified PECOTA as a means of determining Guillen’s worth over for the 2008-11 seasons assuming some time spent at 1B.  The projection system values him at $70MM over those four seasons, though it has him playing 100+ games at short each year.  PECOTA calls for below average defense for the last three years of the contract, but still values him very highly. 

Given the massive difference between his production coming from shortstop and first base, his future employer might want to keep him at short even as his defense slips further.  Maybe the Tigers could compensate by signing Orlando Hudson after the 2008 season.   

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